Combined office and drophead typewriter-desk



G. F.'ALBR().

COMBINED OFFICE ANDvDROPHEAD TYPEWHITER DESK. APPLICATION FILED MAR. Ia. |920.

1,398,618 Pmma'Nov. 29,1921. l ggf @757; 2 .5V-Z

15711147 v/llllll. y u f y 6 WIr/7655 MMM/253 J 3 'eorye [L4/bro UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

GEORGE E. ALBEO.' oELos ANGELEs,cALIEoENrA.

ooislrisINED OFEICE AAND nRoPHEAn TYPEWEITEE-DESK.

To all 'whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. ALBRO, a citizen of the United States, residing vat Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Combined Office and Drophead Typewriter-Desk, of which the following is a specification.

An object of the invention is to provide a drop head typewriter desk which may be used with ease and comfort as an ordinary writing desk. That is to say, drop head typewriter desks as constructed prior to this invention, have been so arranged that when the typewriter is inclosed, the shelf which carries the same prevents the knees of the writer from extending under the desk top far enough; for comfort; and an object of this invention is to provide a drop head typewriter desk in which the typewriter shelf will not be in the way of one sitting at the desk to write when the desk top is fully closed to constitute a writingV des f The invention is pioneer'in that I connect and swing the desk top and the typewriter shelf to and within the :housing or desk frame by means of two levers and a connecting rod in such away that such shelf is bodily retracted from the frontv of the desk as the desk top is closed, and is held retracted into approximately vertical position entirely out of the way ofv the knees of Ya person seated to write on the desk top.

, An Objectis to provide adesk of this character of simple and cheap construction easily applied and operated.

1 A novel feature of the invention'is that the desk top and typewriter support are oscillatably mounted in the deskv frame by means adapted to swing or loscillate the desk top and typewriter shelf and to `establish them in rectangular relation toeach other at the 'end of the opening movement and at'the end of the closing movementrof the desk top.

An object is to raise the typewriter shelf to a higher level than heretofore' when' the desk is open so asto morefreely accommodate lateral movement ofy the typewriter carriage and the khand which operates it.v

- Other objects, advantages and features of invention may appear from the accompany# ing drawing, the subjoineddetail description and the` appended claims. Y

The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention. i. f.

ig'ure l is ,a perspective View of a closed Specication of'Letters Patent. Patented NOV, 29, 1921,

Application led March 18, 1920. Serial No. 366,973. y

typewritery desk constructed in accordance with this invention. v F 1g. 2 is an elevation on the plane practically indicated by line azz--g-Fig. 1. The

type-writer is indicated in dotted lines in vpositlon on thetype-writer support.

Fig. 3 1s afragmental perspective view' of the desk shown inFig. 1 withthe top thrown open and the type-writer 4shelf. or support ready to receive a type-writer.

. Fig. 4 is a fragmental sectional elevation i of the type-writer desk shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and open as in Fig. 3, and viewed 'from substantially the same'plane asFig. 2. v

Fig. 5 is a fragmental plan in section on different horizontal planes at several pivotal axes; parts being exaggerated in thickness to clearly show what parts are pivotally and .what parts are iXedly connected together.

Fig. 6Y is afragmental sectional detail of the beam which is .only partly in section in Fig. 5. Fragments yof lthe frame and desk top orvv closure and `pivotal connection are also shown in section. n

The desk top or Vclosure 1 and theshelf 2 are of the usual construction and arel mounted and movable within the housing or frame 3 by lever and link means as the beam 4, the lever 5 and link 6. :l i

The beam 4 isa lever pivoted intermediate its ends by pivot'7 to aV support formed by a part of the stationary desk frame or housing wall-3. f l i YThe drop heador desk is connected with the desk frame' or -housing and the type-writer shelf or support lseparable top 1 of the other and with the type-writer desk or housf ing and the dropY head: 4and shelf; there being one set of each ofsaid lever and link connections at each lateral edge of the typewriter shelf and the drop heador top ;v said 'drop head and shelf, together with the bars,

forming a unit, and being mutually and eccentrically adjustable, relative to the desk housingor frame.

" The beam4 is pivoted to the desktop lby a pivot 8 throughk a xture 9 thatis attached to saidV 'desk-top; andsaidbeam is'pivoted by a pivot 10 to the -shelf 2 through vthe medium of a; reinforcing bar or strap 11 that is Xedto-the shelf by screws 12. 'The lever 5 is pivoted tothel desk top lby a pivot A13 through the medium of a block 14 that is fixed to said desk top; and said lever -is pivoted by a pivot 15 to the frameor housing 3, and by a pivot 16 to thelink 6 which in turn is pivoted by pivot 17 to the shelf 2 through the medium of said reinforcingv strap 11. 18 is a latch by which the typewriter shelf may be latched to the frame 3V Yfrom thefront edge of the desktop when `closed.

In lthe instance shown it maybe assumed that such recess is eight inches deep.

There aretwo fixed pivotal axes, one at 'Zand the otherat 15 over which the top is oscillatable vfrom horizontal top position to up and down back position, and vice versa while'the shelf is connected to oscillate `from horizontal position intermediate said axes to up andv down position in front of said axes.

.To effect this, the beams, levers, links and pivots are so disposed that when the top and shelf are in closed position, the top and the upper lever 5 is horizontahand its pivotal points 13, 15 and 16 are horizontally alined, the shelf stands upright in front of the beam and lever pivots, the beam 4 stands upwardly and rearwardlyaslant and the link 6 is infront thereof, is parallel tothe beam, and extends between the fixed axes 7 and 15.

The beam 4 is pivoted to the frame about Vmidway between the "free ends of the lever,

the rear end of which is pivoted to the rear Y edge of thedesktop, and the'front en d to y the middle of the shelf, while the leverY 5 is. Vvpivoted near the end which is nearest the rear when closed. .f y Y n Y The long end of the lever 5 is pivoted Vnear the front'edge of the cover and the lshort end is connected to the shelf nearV the front edge thereof by the link,

By this construction and arrangement the weight of the shelf and of the typewriter indicated in broken lines-at 20 is carried by the pivots 7 and 15 about which the desk top'and typewriter Voscillates during openingY orclosing of the desk.l

` The Vdesk top is shownV with the usual lock 21 and'pull 22;' v Y In practical 'manufacture the beams 4,

Ylevers y5, links 6,'1'and' shelfrbarsll will all be cut from strap ironV or steel'andpunched orbored to form'the purchases for the pivots and the holesfor the screws 12. f

YThen they may be assembled and the parts forw each vside set or assembly includingthe fixture'), will be assembled 'and pivoted together as shown, and then the bars 11 of the companion sets or assemblies will be fastened to the shelf by screws 12. Then the top 1 will be pivoted at 8 and 13 to the oscillating mechanism, and the connected .partsso arranged, as described, that the desk topY and support will be in relative rectangular positions at open and closed positions of Vthe desk top. The forward edge of the shelf lor support, when in open position, is spaced from the front of thefdesk and lies approximately in a common plane withV the under surface of the desk top whenin closed or vertical position. A

In practice the assemblies composed ofthe bar,rthre beam, the lever, and the link, and the purchase, pivoted together, but free from the deskframe, top and shelf are provided independently of the desk structureand the operation of setting up; vso that lthe assemblies may be kept in stock, and maybe shipped and stored ready for application to the deskframe, top and shelf 'and may readily applied thereto by unskilledlaborers with screw drivers as the only tools. f

By the construction shown the partsV may be so proportioned as to bring the typebeV writer shelf to desired level when the Y desk is opened.

I claim.V

desk topY anda shelf mounted and movable within the housing, and means connecting Y the shelf with the desktop and adapted to transmit motion from 'the desk top to the shelf to move the shelf into approximately the desk when the desk is closed; and toV move the shelf into approximately vertical `position within the housing when the desk top is *movedv out of the housing and into horizontal position.

12o f V 2. The'combination with a frame, a ydesk top and a typewriter shelf; of a beam piv-` :oted at about its middle to the frame and y pivoted at its ends tothe back o-f thedesk Vtop and to the typewriter shelf at about the middle of said shelfja lever pivoted near one end to the frame and pivoted at its long end to the front' of the desk top; anda link pivoted at one end to the short endof'the Y' 105 .Y 1. The combination with a housing, :of a

nazismer lever and pivoted at the other end to the front edge of the shelf.

3. The assembly for connecting a desk top and a typewriter shelf to a frame, which consistsof a strap iron bar provided with pivot holes at its ends and adapted to be lixed to the edge of a typewriter shelf, a strap iron beam provided with pivot holes at the middle and both ends, a strap iron lever provided with pivot holes at its ends and between its middle and one end; a link provided with pivot holes at its ends; pivots pivoting the link at one end to the short arm of the lever and at the other end to yone end of the bar, and a pivot pivotingl one end of the beam to the other end of the bar, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A combined oice and typewriter desk in which the desk top and typewriter shelf are swung to and within the housing or desk frame by means of two levers and a link in such a way that the front edge of such shelf is bodily retracted from the front edge of the desk as the desk top isf closed and is held practically vertical and the front edge of such shelf in such retracted position is spaced from the front edge of the desk so as to be out of the way of the knees of the person seated to write upon the desk top when the desk is closed. p i

5. Inv a desk, the Vcombination with aV housing, of a shelf andl a separable top', and means pivotally connected to said shelf, top and housing,` and being adapted andv arranged to bring said shelf and top into open and closed positions; said means comprising a lever pivoted between its middle yand one end to the housing and arranged parallel to said top when the desk is in closed position, the long end of said lever being pivotally connected tothe forward edge ofsaid top; a linkpivotally connected tothe short end of said leverfand to said shelf, and a beam pivotally connected intermediate its ends to the housing `and pivotally connected at one end to the rearward edge of said toptand pivotally connected at the other end to said shelf. .f v i In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my handlatLos Angeles, California, this 11th day of March, 1920.;

GEORGE F. ALBRO.

Witness l JAMES R. TowNsEND. 

